Grown Up Grilled Cheese: A Meaty Brie

I had a little fascination with Brie not too long ago. I felt the need to broaden my love for cheese so I thought I'd grab some at the grocery store and make whatever my mind could create. What did I come up with? Grilled cheese, of course! Well, also a quesadilla but that's another story... Anyways, if you've been following my posts, you know that I like to make 'grown up' grilled cheese sandwiches every now and then that aren't part of the normal 'american cheese' variety. It's a little ongoing project of mine...

Grown Up Grilled Cheese - Italian-Style Chicken

Did you know that April is grilled cheese month? I never knew until the Food Network posted it on Facebook a couple days ago. I'm a big fan of grilled cheese creations (as you may have seen from previous posts) so this is pretty cool news to me!

I made a new one last week so it seems like the perfect time to post about it. I usually make my 'Grown Up' grilled cheese concoctions using simple ingredients because great tastes can be created using everyday things. This latest grilled cheese was no exception. Coming up with new and interesting combinations can be as simple as looking in the fridge (or pantry) and using a little imagination. Instead of spending a small fortune at the store or making special trips, I've become a big fan of using what you already have. I always have a selection of veggies and usually a pretty standard cheese on hand. Yes, I know that there are so many awesome cheeses out there, but they can be pretty costly. I had the basics and that's all I needed. Every once in awhile I'll splurge, but for most of my 'everyday sandwiches', I'm perfectly content using what I have to make something that tastes pretty awesome.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Red Pepper, Onion and Spinach with Spicy Garlic Mayo

The latest in my grilled cheese series is a trio of veggies that are layered with tangy cheese and a spicy mayo. This one was so gooey and good that it seemed almost sinful! I cooked the onion and red pepper for awhile to caramelize them and bring out their natural sugars, but you can just cook them until they're soft.

This sandwich can also be loaded up with a medley of other veggies, too. Give it a try with some mushrooms cooked with the onion and peppers or add a few ribbons of zucchini. Just make sure to cook the vegetables enough to bring out their maximum flavors.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Cuban Style

Our visit to Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago inspired this Cuban Grilled Cheese sandwich. They have a Cuban sandwich that is sub-par as well as a grilled cheese that is far from living up to my standards. I thought I could combine both ideas into one and come up with something super tasty that is actually not too bad for you. 

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: Tangy and Tart Turkey

I'm always on my quest for new and interesting grilled cheese sandwiches. This one isn't some crazy concoction made of weird ingredients, but it is really good. I took some regular lunchmeat and topped it off with some Swiss cheese and some tart cranberry sauce. The saltiness of the cheese complimented the sweetness of the cranberries so perfectly that I think I might just have to make it again with upcoming Thanksgiving leftovers.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Avocado, Tomato and Bacon

I might be developing an avocado obsession. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

In searching the fridge for something for dinner, cheese stood out. I'm not sure why, but a grilled cheese sandwich just sounded so good. I still have some avocados left so I was trying to come up with a way to combine that with a grilled cheese sandwich. The classic with american cheese wouldn't do so I jazzed it up a bit with some mozzarella. It was still missing something though. It needed a little color so I thought tomatoes would be the perfect addition. And why not add some bacon? The salty, crunchiness would be a nice compliment to the smooth avocado. I threw it all on some multi-grain bread and grilled it up. End result = yum.